What is Freemasonry?

ANSWER: Freemasonry is the old­est and largest world wide fra­ter­nity ded­i­cated to the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of a Supreme Being.  Freemasonry is an orga­ni­za­tion, which, through­out its many years of exis­tence, has main­tained a con­sis­tent set of prin­ci­ples. These par­al­lel and com­ple­ment those of all major reli­gions of the world. They also pro­mote the sim­ple but impor­tant objec­tives of help­ing mankind to live full lives.

Is Masonry a reli­gion, or some sub­sti­tute for religion.

ANSWER: Masonry rec­og­nizes each individual’s right to his own beliefs, and pro­hibits dis­cus­sion of a reli­gious nature in lodge.  Masonry is not a sub­sti­tute for reli­gion as every mem­ber is encour­aged to seek the way to pur­sue his reli­gious con­vic­tions in the man­ner best suited to him.

Is Masonry a Secret Society?

ANSWER: No.  We wear rings and lapel pins with Masonic emblems such as the square & com­passes to iden­tify our­selves as Masons. Our build­ings are clearly marked and are usu­ally listed in the tele­phone book. Masons do, how­ever, have modes of recog­ni­tion that per­mit strangers who share mem­ber­ship in the fra­ter­nity to sit together in a lodge any­where in the free world and enjoy each other’s fellowship.

How long has Freemasonry existed?

ANSWER: As with any­thing with its roots in antiq­uity, a defin­i­tive answer to the     spe­cific ori­gins of Masonry is not pos­si­ble. Several hypothe­ses have been advanced. The one con­sid­ered most viable is that it began with the stone­ma­sons who erected the great Gothic stone cathe­drals of Europe, begin­ning some 650 years ago, and to the guilds they cre­ated. These oper­a­tive Masons were engaged for years on end con­struct­ing the mighty cas­tles, abbeys and monas­ter­ies away from the major cities and towns. They formed them­selves into lodges, in imi­ta­tion of the town guilds, to pro­vide some form of self-government while away from other forms of con­trol. Present Masonry in North America can trace its begin­ning to the Grand Lodge of England when four Lodges banded together in the year 1717 to form the first Grand Lodge.

Why are Masons called “Masons”?

ANSWER: A Mason (or Freemason) is a mem­ber of a fra­ter­nity known as Masonry (or Freemasonry). A fra­ter­nity is a group of men (just as a soror­ity is a group of women) who join together because of three reasons:

1. There are things they want to do in the world.

2. There are things they want to do “inside their own minds.

3. They enjoy being together with men they like and respect.

Since Masonry does not admit women, what would my wife do if I became a Mason?

ANSWER: It is true that Masonry is open to men only. There also many Masonic-related orga­ni­za­tions, such as the Eastern Star, Daughters of the Nile, Amaranth, Job’s Daughters, Rainbow for Girls and DeMolay for Boys, offer ample oppor­tu­ni­ties for women and youth.

How much time does it take to be a Mason?

ANSWER: Each lodge has one reg­u­lar meet­ing every month. Most Lodges do not meet in July and August but spe­cial meet­ings may be called at any time dur­ing the year.  Masons are also encour­aged to visit other lodges; so a Mason can be as active as he wishes. Masonry rec­og­nizes that each mem­ber has oblig­a­tions to his fam­ily, his work, his reli­gious beliefs, his com­mu­nity and him­self.  Masonry does not inter­fere with man’s abil­ity to meet these oblig­a­tions as it teaches that they must take priority.

How does one become a Mason?

ANSWER: Tradition requires every Mason to come free of any coer­cion so Masonry does not solicit for mem­bers. An inter­ested man must ask. If he meets the age and moral require­ments, he need only sub­mit an appli­ca­tion signed by two mem­bers of the lodge as sponsors.

Is it true Masonry teaches that all faiths are equal?

ANSWER: No.  It would be out of place for a fra­ter­nity to do so. Masonry teaches respect and tol­er­a­tion, that all human beings have an equal right to fol­low their own faith and that no one has the power to deny them that right.